UPDATE 1-Putin accuses Ukrainian leader of shunning road to peace

MOSCOW, July 1 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin
said on Tuesday he and European Union states had tried
unsuccessfully to persuade Kiev to extend a ceasefire in east
Ukraine, and the Ukrainian president had veered off the road to
peace.

President Petro Poroshenko renewed a military campaign
against pro-Russian rebels, saying they had not abided by the
terms, after two long telephone calls with Putin, German
Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande.

"Unfortunately President Poroshenko took the decision to
restart military operations and we - I mean myself and my
European colleagues - could not convince him that the road to
stable, strong and long-lasting peace does not lie through war,"
Putin told Russian ambassadors gathered in Moscow.

"Up until now (Poroshenko) was not directly linked to the
order to start military operations but now he has taken on this
responsibility fully, not only militarily but also politically."

Putin presented himself as having been on the same side as
Merkel and Hollande over the ceasefire during their four-way
telephone conversations with Poroshenko on Sunday and Monday.

He has, however, often been at odds with the EU and the
United States over Ukraine in the past few months and Western
leaders have accused him of blocking peace moves as well as
imposing sanctions on Russia over its role in Ukraine.

Although he did not mention the United States directly,
Putin warned against "meddling in the affairs of sovereign
states, blackmail and threats in international relations".

"We need some kind of insurance net around all of Europe so
that the Iraqi, Libyan, Syrian - and unfortunately we have to
mention the Ukrainian - scenarios do not become a contagious
disease," he said.

All four countries have faced armed uprisings.

Putin also criticised Ukraine over its stance in
negotiations on the price it pays for Russian natural gas.

He accused Kiev of resorting to blackmail in the
negotiations and said Kiev had demanded a "totally unjustified"
price cut for the gas. Putin added that "conscientious"
consumers and suppliers should not suffer from "the actions of
Ukrainian politicians".

Russia cut off gas supplies to Ukraine last month after it
missed a deadline to pay back $1.95 billion of what it owes
Moscow for gas.
(Reporting by Alexei Anishchuk, Writing by Timothy Heritage,
Editing by Elizabeth Piper)